Bob Dylan in Fort Wayne and Kalamazoo

A Concert Review + Pictures

This week, our reader Brian sent in a beautifully written reflection – along with some photos – from two recent Dylan shows he attended.
A heartfelt thank-you to Brian.
We hope you enjoy his account as much as we did.

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“I had the pleasure of seeing Bob play over the past week in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and in my adopted hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan – just a mile from where I live.

I first saw Bob perform on Father’s Day, 1995, opening for the Grateful Dead at Giants Stadium. I had just finished my senior year of high school and was heading off to college in August. Bob’s performance of Ballad of a Thin Man and Jerry singing Wharf Rat were the gateway drugs to my love for live music. I was fortunate to see multiple shows with Bob and Phil & Friends, and since then, many one-off shows and Outlaw gigs with Willie. The shows this week mark 30 years of taking in the enigma and absorbing the mystique that is Bob Dylan.

“Expectation, not comparison, is the thief of joy” when it comes to seeing Bob in 2025. A man just shy of his 84th birthday – slightly older than my own two parents (whom I could never imagine doing what he’s doing). Perspective and gratitude are key for appreciating the troubadour leading this Never Ending Tour – night after night, rolling from city to city. And for what reason? Bob doesn’t need the money, and he has consciously shied away from the spotlight. Is it for the pure love of making music? Is it to fill his introverted soul with the presence of a crowd he doesn’t need to dialogue with? Is it to flex the resiliency of his creative muscles by reimagining his offerings in various tempos to meet the moment where it needs to be met?

There aren’t many octogenarians whose voice, memory, and body could hold up against the rigors of this tour. We shouldn’t expect anything other than what Bob is able to share on stage that night. To expect a clear and consistently audible voice on Bob’s 2025 tour would be foolish. Don’t come to the show with expectations of specific songs or how they should be presented to you. To expect wide variation in the setlist is to view today’s reality through shaded lenses. Expect Bob’s presence on stage – and you’ll receive joy.

The setlist for both shows was the same, but the singing was crisper in Kalamazoo, and Bob appeared more energized and engaged with the band. He opened with I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight and proceeded to play the standard 17-song set he’s played for most of this tour. Since January 1, 2023, Bob has only played 53 other songs outside of this rotation. To expect variance would have robbed me of the smile on my face as we walked out of both the Embassy Theatre and Miller Auditorium.

There were no pauses to lean into vulnerability or muse with the audience over stories of yesteryear. To expect Bob to speak to the crowd as a voice of these turbulent times is unrealistic. That expectation would have pilfered the elation from the bounce in my step after I shouted “thank you” to Bob as he stepped onto his bus – a moment witnessed in both cities. One must wonder if Bob pauses to reflect with his bandmates backstage for even a minute, or if he simply walks straight from the stage to the bus.

Highlights from the shows included hearing Bob sing these magical lines:

“Someday, everything is gonna be different”, “I can’t play the record ’cause the needle got stuck”, “I ain’t no false prophet, I just said what I said”, and “All the old queens from all my past lives, I contain multitudes.” Musically, the band’s playing on Crossing the Rubicon in Fort Wayne and Watching the River Flow in Kalamazoo made their presence worthwhile. Bob could play this tour solo – stripped down with just his piano and harmonica. Wouldn’t that be something to behold?

Bob is meeting the moment where it needs to be met. His voice is made for these intimate theater shows. I second-guess his desire to roll on with the Outlaw Tour this summer in venues that may dull his ability to connect with us. Bob’s reworked versions of the songs confront expectations and adapt beautifully to the cards in his hand. While we still can, I’ll bask in the moment with Bob – and look forward to seeing him down the road again, if time is on both of our sides.”